Early Childhood and Family Education: Foundations for Success. A Statement Adopted November 1988.

Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC. Resource Center on Educational Equity.

The Council of Chief State School Officers calls upon educators, policymakers, service providers, and community leaders to create new ways of supporting families and assuring that each child's earliest years provide the foundation for a creative life. Given recent changes in the realities facing children, the council believes that there is no more essential challenge before the nation's educators than the creation of new partnerships and shared responsibilities for the development of young children. This policy statement by the council provides background information on children's needs, principles underlying recommended action strategies, and strategies for change. Strategies for change include: (1) provision of universally available, high-quality early childhood services for all children, with concentration of public resources on early childhood programs for children at-risk; (2) the strengthening of capacities of families, with assured standards of quality for early childhood programs; and (3) expanded collaboration in the provision of comprehensive services to young children and families. (RH)